If you are a person who is interested in Tai Neua, you might wonder who is Tai Neua and with whom Tai Neua is associated and why Tai Neua is similar with some of other ethnic group like Tai Yai, Tai Leu for instance. Before answering these questions, it is necessary to study about ‘Shan’.
The Shan (Burmese: IPA: [ʃán lùmjóʊ]; Chinese: 掸族; pinyin: dǎn zú) are a Tai ethnic group of Southeast Asia. The Shan live primarily in the Shan State of Myanmar, but also inhabit parts of Mandalay Division, Kachin State, and Kayin State, and in adjacent regions of China and Thailand.[1]The Shan are estimated to number ~6 million; a reliable census has not been taken since 1935. The capital of Shan State is Taunggyi, a small city of about 150,000 people. Other major cities include Thibaw (Hsipaw), Lashio, Kengtong and Tachileik.
The Shan identify themselves as "Tai", which means "free men" while "Shan" is a Burmese language term.[2] The Shan share their creation myth with the Lao people and believe their race was founded by Khun Borom the first king to establish Sip Song Pan Na (12 thousand Fields) along the Mekong (Mae Nam Kong).
The Shan people as a whole can be divided into four major groups:
- The Tai Yai or "Shan Proper"
- The Tai Lue, located in Sipsong Panna (China) and the eastern states
- The Tai Khuen, the majority of Keng Tung
- The Tai Neua, mostly in Sipsong Panna
The Shan are traditionally wet-rice cultivators, shopkeepers, and artisans. Most Shans are staunch Theravada Buddhists, being one of the four main Buddhist ethnic groups in Myanmar - the others being the Arakanese, Burmese and Mon.
The Shan language, which is spoken by about 5 or 6 million is closely related to Thai and Lao, and is part of the family of Tai-Kadai languages. It is spoken in Shan State, some parts of Kachin State, some parts of Sagaing Division in Myanmar, parts of Yunnan, and Mae Hong Son Province in northwestern Thailand.[3] The two major dialects differ in number of tones: Hsenwi Shan has six tones, while Mongnai Shan has five.[4] Its written script is an adaptation of the Mon script (like Burmese), although several other scripts exist.[4] However, few Shan are literate, and many are bilingual in Burmese.
The Tai-Shan people are believed to have migrated from Yunnan in China. The Shan are descendants of the oldest branch of the Tai-Shan, known as Tai Long (Great Tai) or Thai Yai (Big Thai).
The Tai-Shan who migrated to the south and now inhabit modern-day Laos and Thailand are known as Tai Noi (or Tai Nyai), while those in parts of northern Thailand and Laos are commonly known as Tai Noi (Little Tai - Lao spoken)
The Shan have inhabited the Shan Plateau and other parts of modern-day Myanmar as far back as the 10th century AD. The Shan kingdom of Mong Mao (Muang Mao) existed as early as the 10th century AD but became a Burmese vassal state during the reign of King Anawrahta of Bagan (1044-1077). Note: the Mao people are considered a Shan subgroup.
After the Bagan kingdom fell to the Mongols in 1287, the Tai-Shan people quickly gained power throughout South East Asia, and founded:
- Pinya in central Myanmar
- Ava by Burmanized Shan kings
- States in the Shan hills, Kachin hills, Yunnan and parts of Vietnam.
- Lan Xang (Laos)
- Lanna (Chiang Mai)
- Ayutthaya (Siam)
- Assam
Many Ava and Bago kings of Burmese history between the 12th and 16th century were of (partial) Shan descent. The kings of Ava fought kings of Bago for control of Ayeyarwady valley. Various Shan states fought Burmanized Shan kings of Ava for the control of Upper Myanmar. The Shan kingdom of Mohnyin (Mong Yang) defeated the Ava kingdom in 1527, and ruled all of Upper Burma until 1555.
Burmese king Bayinnaung (1551-1581) conquered all of the Shan states in 1557. Although the Shan states would become a tributary to Ayeyarwady valley based Burmese kingdoms from then on, the Shan Saophas retained a large degree of autonomy.
After the Third Anglo-Burmese War in 1885, the British gained control of the Shan states. Under the British colonial administration, the Shan principalities were administered separately as British protectorates with limited monarchical powers invested in the Shan Saophas. [5]
After World War II, the Shan and other ethnic minority leaders negotiated with the majority Burman leadership at the Panglong Conference, and agreed to gain independence from Britain as part of Union of Myanmar. The Shan states were given the option to secede after 10 years of independence. The Shan states became Shan State in 1948 as part of the newly independent Burma.
General Ne Win's coup d'etat overthrew the democratically elected government in 1962, and abolished Shan saopha system.
Do you know about ‘Shan’ people? What do you know about ‘Shan’ people? And could you share how it is related to Tai Neua?
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